Album Update: Reflections on the Recording Process

I had hoped to bring you weekly updates on the progress of the new album, but as you can see, that was not to be. However, after a spring and summer filled with activities other than recording, I am now back at it and am recording vocals for The Peregrin Heart.

I must say that, as compared to the last album, this recording process is much more of a pleasure, because I am deliberately leaving my inner critic at the door until I get three reasonably good takes for each song. All I’m interested in is getting those three takes done for now, and then later, I will put on my Producer hat and be as ruthless as I can be. For now, however, I am the singer and the engineer, and for now, that’s how I like it.

Now that I am singing along with an already-recorded piano track rather than playing and singing simultaneously as I do in performance, I’m finding that I’m able to go more deeply into the songs I have written and to really think about the poetry that they are bringing to life. I have also discovered a surprising thing; I really enjoy these songs in an objective way. They are worthy works in their own right. As I am singing, I often have to stop myself because I have been thinking so hard about how another instrument might fit into the mix that I have flubbed a lyric or forgotten what comes next.

Now that the vocals are being done, the album is entering the realms of reality. It’s beginning to take on a life of its own, and this, as always, is amazing! While I still have no firm deadline for its completion, I know now that it will be completed, and as soon as I know, you’ll know.

I hope to share more about the creative and recording process in the coming weeks. Till then, stay tuned!